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Dispatch - April 2014

Jeep News & Rumors
•The Wrangler was named Hottest 4x4-SUV at the ’13 SEMA Show. The title of hotness is bestowed on the make/model that appeared more often than not in aftermarket companies’ booths. That’s four times in a row for the Wrangler.

•If you like Jeeps and you like SiriusXM radio, you’re in luck. Now all ’14 Jeeps (and Mopars, Rams, SRTs, and so on) will have a one-year subscription to SiriusXM, as well as the remote version of the radio for listening at home or anywhere else that isn’t inside the Jeep.

•There have been more than 3 million 3.6L Pentastar V-6s produced. The 3.2L V-6 in the Cherokee was spawned off that engine.

•The ’14 Cherokee got high scores in the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety’s testing, earning a nod of Top Safety Pick for 2013. It got the highest possible scores in the org’s four tests.

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“Frankly, I know that if I screw up the next Wrangler, then I probably wouldn’t be able to leave my house for a long time.”
—Mike Manley, president and CEO of Jeep

Industry News
•Did you know the WD-40 Company is 60 years old?

•Friend of Jp, Del Albright, has been named Interim Director of Operations of the BlueRibbon Coalition.

•Official Automotive Paint of NASCAR: Sherman-Williams.

•Goodyear was named a Top 100 Military Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs magazine.

•Cherokee people, there’s a new company: Complete Cherokee. Call ’em at 404/585-5449 or click completecherokee.com. There’s something and everything and then some and thing and every for XJs.

•The Eastwood Company now has an automotive-themed podcast called Shop Talk. You can learn all about automotive things related to customizing, including paint. Download from the iTunes store or check it out via Eastwood’s blog, blog.eastwood.com.

Win This Ford
Want to win a Ford F-150 designed by Chip Foose? WD-40 has teamed with him to outfit a truck in an off-road fashion, with around 20 aftermarket companies’ parts, such as Warn and Magnaflow. The ’13 Lariat will be raffled off in early May and proceeds will benefit three charities. Go to wd40.com/truckraffle. And it’s the actual truck you’ll win, not this drawing.

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*As seen on Jp’s Facebook page

Is Jeep Dumping Solid Axles?
Rumors abound. Whether the ’16 Wrangler will still have solid axles is the question of the moment, and that moment will last a couple years until we know for sure…even though Jp is confident it will. Blame fuel economy standards if this happens…which all reason tells us it won’t. Automakers are under major pressure to meet the demands, and cutting weight is a key way. Solid axles are heavier than an independent setup.

Auto Graphs
•Seems Google’s autonomous vehicle is already a safer driver than you are. According to The Technology Review, data retrieved shows that the company’s self-driving Prius and Lexus cars are smoother when steering themselves and kept a better distance from the vehicle ahead than humans did. Your driving is about to be outsourced.

•The Interwebs were asked to pick a color for the SRT Viper. Competition Blue was the winner. It beat out Overtaking Blue and Viral Blue. Hazel had the viral blues once. Ate a lot of ice cream, then so did everyone else.

•Word on the street is that Tom Cruise may star in a movie about Carroll Shelby. As Carroll Shelby. Too bad—Tom Cruise is a schmuck.

•There was a $176 cocktail called Quattroporte that came with a ride in a Maserati Quattroporte. Drink and ride at Langham Place hotel bar in NYC. Gothamist reported the price tag is based on top mph, and as we went to press, the deal was good only through November—and no one had purchased yet.

•Is New York going to get a new speed limit of 75 mph where it currently is 65?

Jp Staff Gets Naked
Want to learn more about the people who put together your favorite Jeep magazine? Agreed, you don’t. But some of you have been asking questions, so in each issue, we’ll answer those, no matter how weird they—and you—are. Send your question to jpeditor@sorc.com with the subject line, “I Need to Know.” We were going to make that subject line “Get Naked,” but we have enough of those already in our spam folder.

This month’s burning questions:

Christian

Pete

Verne

What’s your favorite swear word?

I don’t use it frequently, but my favorite is “rat farts” from Caddyshack..

I wouldn’t say I have a favorite, but I drop the F-bomb and S-words more than I would care to admit..

If you could modify only one thing on a Jeep for the rest of your life and the rest of your future Jeeps’ lives, what would it be?

T-case. To me, they’re enjoyable to work on.

They would need the flux capacitor.

Gearing/lockers.

Why does Jeep need to build a pickup?

Because they don’t have one and the Toyota Tacoma needs to be taken down a peg or two. Look at the Tacoma over there all smug and confident. Wipe that smile of your face or Jeep will wipe if off for you. Don’t make Jeep come over there….

If you don’t already know, you probably work for Jeep.

Jeep, build a J-12, because everyone wants one.

What sports car would you own in a heartbeat?

The 1,500hp Bugatti Super Veyron ’cause Lamborghinis are for hairdressers, Ferraris and Corvettes are for old dudes trying to pick up 20-year-old-bar sluts, and Porsches are for dentists—and old dudes trying to pick up 20-year-old bar sluts.

Despite Christian’s funny rant, I’d take a Vette. Hmm, I wonder what I should wear for my impending bar-slut pickups.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

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“Know the customer, know the competition, respect the competition. I wanted these guys living, eating, breathing Jeep.”
—Chris Nowak, Mopar’s senior manager of product development, to Automotive News, about the line of Mopar Jeep parts